1956 Ferrari 500 TR news, pictures, and information

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Designer: Scaglietti
Chassis Num: 0650 MDTR Type 518
Engine Num: 0650MDTR Type 131
Gearbox Num: Type 518

'TR' stands for 'testa rossa', red head in Italian. Red was the color of the valve covers on the new Ferrari four-cylinder engine introduced in 1956. The 500 TR is the origin of the classic Ferrari racing model name and is one of only 17 made. It has a 1984cc inline-4 with dual overhead cams that produce 180 horsepower at 7000 rpm. The body is by Scaglietti. This fabulous race car has a long and successful racing career and was recently exhibited at the 2007 Concoros Italiano.

The 1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa that Pete Lovely entered into the inaugural day of races at Laguna Seca in 1957 was a well-traveled vehicle. In fact, Lovely was not the car's first driver. John von Neumann had initially driven the car, followed by Bruce Kessler, in a total of 11 races prior to Lovely's first ride at Arcata in September 1957. Lovely would ride to victory at Laguna Seca in only his second race in the car, beating von Neumann and several other more favored drives that day.

This car is powered by a 2498cc four-cylinder engine with dual overhead camshafts. It is capable of producing 190 horsepower at 7400 RPM.

The Ferrari 500 TR would compete not only at Laguna Seca but throughout all of the United States, going as far east as Miami Beach and as far west as Hawaii at Dillingham Field, where Richie Gardner would race the car. Lovely's win at Laguna Seca set the stage for many years of heart pounding racing at this new jewel of a track at Monterey.

Gioacchino Colombo had designed Ferrari's 2-liter V12 engine which had powered its cars to a championship in the Formula 2 class in 1949. The engines were large and powerful with plenty of potential for further improvements throughout the years. Some of Ferrari's competition went a different route; they used smaller, lightweight, four-cylinder engines which were more fuel efficient. They could be run longer on the same amount of fuel as the twelve-cylinder unit, and their compact size meant they could be sit lower to the ground and power smaller vehicles. Enzo realized this potential and commissioned their new chief engineer, Aurelio Lampredi, to design a four-cylinder engine to replace the Colombo V12. The project was given a high priority when the sports governing body made the decision to run the World Championship under Formula 2 regulations.

Lampredi created 2- and 2.5-liter versions, both formed from light alloy and featuring double camshaft heads. The engines were very similar and shared many of the same parts. The 2-liter version was ready by 1952 and was used in F2 competition. In the capable hands of Alberto Ascari, it brought Ferrari another World Championship after winning six of the seven championship races. The following year, another World Championship was earned by Ferrari.

The engine was not solely reserved for Ferrari's racing program. It was used to power their sportscars, much to the enthusiasm of their customers.

A 3-liter version, dubbed the 750 Monza, made its debut at the Gran Premio Supercortemaggiore at Monza. It was driven by Gonzales and Trintignant to a victory at its inaugural race. Near the close of 1953, a two-liter race car in prototype form was raced. The engine was put in a 250 MM chassis and driven by Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi to a class victory. In honor of Ferrari's second World Championship in as many years, the car was named the 500 Mondial. The 500 Mondial would later capture victories at the 1954 Mille Miglia and the 12-Hours of Sebring in 1956. Both the 2- and 3-liter versions were extensively campaigned by the Works Team and by privateers.

The continued success meant continued development. Ferrari's new chief engineer Vittorio Jano was tasked with creating a new 2-liter engine that could outpace the dominate Maseratis. The Lampredi four-cylinder unit was used as a starting point, and given new red cylinder heads. Red head in Italian is Testa Rossa (TR), which would later become the name of the vehicle - 500 TR. The two-liter engine had two valves per cylinder and dual overhead cams. With the help of two Weber carburetors, the engine was capable of producing 180 horsepower. A Ferrari four-speed manual gearbox sent that power to the rear wheels and carried the 1500 pound vehicles with bodies created by Scaglietti. Their debut race was at the 1956 Monza Supercortemaggiore where Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorne were about to outpace the powerful Maserati's and secure a victory. Updates were made to the vehicle throughout the year, as Appendix C rule changes for sports cars meant they had to be outfitted with full-length windscreens, an externally mounted fuel tank, and a passenger door. These updates to the vehicle brought about the 500 TRC.

Further development of the engine brought about the 2.5-liter version which was prepared in time for LeMans. Dubbed the 625 LM, they were given bodies created by Touring.

In total, there were 19 examples of the 500 TRCs created. After this exercise, Ferrari would revert back to the V12 powerplants. The 'TR' nameplate was responsible for achieving victories at LeMans on four occasions among numerous other racing successes by the factory and privateers. The name TR would again grace a Ferrari vehicle in the 1980s, this time on a road-going GT car.

1956 Ferrari models
Ferrari 250 GT Boano
Ferrari 250 GT TdF
Ferrari 290 MM
Ferrari 410 S Scaglietti
Ferrari 410 Superamerica
Ferrari 625 LM